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I hived three packages on April 30 on wood frames with RiteCell plastic foundation I purchased from Mann Lake. The foundation although beeswax coated does not have an even distribution of the wax coating. The wax covering is most complete around the center of the foundation in the shape of an oval with some sheets having no coating around an inch or inch and one half from the edges.

I checked the bees yesterday and they are drawing the foundation, but the new combs seem to be drawn in an oval shape corresponding to the besswax coating (I see eggs in the cells, yeah!). The areas where no beeswax covering was evident has not been drawn. I'm still feeding HFCS even though the bees are working spring wildflowers and fruit tree blossoms.

Since these are new packages on foundation will they eventually draw the combs claer out to the frame edges or will they leave things the way they are?

Almost wish I would have stuck with good old duragilt.

Ron

Butterchurn<br /><br />Diplomacy is the art of saying \'Nice doggie\' until you can find a rock. <br /><br />Will Rogers

be thankful you don't have duragilt, as ritecell is much better. As soon as duragilt gets scratched, scraped, or bent, it tends to lose adhesion between plastic and wax. Then your contending with patches of plastic the bees will never touch.

I sprayed the RiteCell with diluted HFCS when I installed the bees. I can easily do it again. I think I will.

I have the bees located in a semi-residential area. Some of the neighbors were a bit apprehensive until they saw they could walk right up to the hives and watch the bees without being molested by them. One neighbor thought it was down right cool. Of course there is one neighbor with nice big apple trees that said he will swat every bee he sees. Go figure. I will remind him of what he said after he notices the improvement in his apples this fall.

The family where I am keeping the bees put up a 6 foot high stock wire fence around the bees with a gate and padlock to keep out children, and other 4 legged pests. Skunks can't eat'em if the can't reach'em.

I'll have to get some digital photos of our little apiary next time I go out and post them.

Ron

Ron

Butterchurn<br /><br />Diplomacy is the art of saying \'Nice doggie\' until you can find a rock. <br /><br />Will Rogers

I touched up my new duragilt foundation that had spots of wax missing with melted beeswax applied with a small brush. I haven't used the frames with the touhed-up foundation yet, so I can't say it will work, but I see no reason why it wouldn't.